A NEW style of policing with officers responsible for their own patches is to be piloted in Accrington from September.

Teams will be assigned to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in specific communities.

The pilot is a further development of a scheme which has already driven down Accrington crime figures by 16 per cent.

Acting Chief Inspector Dale Allen said: "It is an opportunity for the sergeant and the teams to get to know their communities, to build relationships and to have ownership of the policing issues of their particular area.

"Instead of simply responding to an incident we want to resolve it by tackling the root of the problem."

Spiralling demands on police time and static resources are forcing the constabulary to re-examine its policing approach.

Mr Allen said: "We feel there is a need to police differently and police smarter."

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